The Parade
"It's the self-directed aspect of play that gives it its educative power."
–Peter Gray, The Decline of Play, TED
Our class, along with many other classes at QAE will be participating in the 1st Annual Global School Play Day this Wednesday, February 4th. The idea behind this day is raising awareness of the importance of unstructured play in the lives of young people. For a couple hours we will put down our pencils, our books and our devices and PLAY.
Students are invited to bring in toys from home. These toys must not require batteries or electricity or contain any type of computer chip. No devices. They may bring in things like board games, Legos, blocks, trucks, cars, racetracks, playing cards, empty cardboard boxes, dolls, puzzles, blankets (for forts), social games (charades, Pictionary, etc.) If they don't bring anything in, no problem. We have lots of games to share. I know this is short notice, but I did talk with the class about this and they are full of excitement. If they mentioned to you that they're allowed to bring toys and games to school-it's true!
Adults will not be leading or facilitating any of the play. The play will all be self directed. The teachers will be making sure this time is safe and will be taking pictures and observing. Who knows, we hope to be playing too! One of the things that Peter Gray says about this event is that it will "signify to children that we recognize the importance of play in their lives." As a mother and teacher, there's nothing like observing free & natural play!
–Peter Gray, The Decline of Play, TED
Our class, along with many other classes at QAE will be participating in the 1st Annual Global School Play Day this Wednesday, February 4th. The idea behind this day is raising awareness of the importance of unstructured play in the lives of young people. For a couple hours we will put down our pencils, our books and our devices and PLAY.
Students are invited to bring in toys from home. These toys must not require batteries or electricity or contain any type of computer chip. No devices. They may bring in things like board games, Legos, blocks, trucks, cars, racetracks, playing cards, empty cardboard boxes, dolls, puzzles, blankets (for forts), social games (charades, Pictionary, etc.) If they don't bring anything in, no problem. We have lots of games to share. I know this is short notice, but I did talk with the class about this and they are full of excitement. If they mentioned to you that they're allowed to bring toys and games to school-it's true!
Adults will not be leading or facilitating any of the play. The play will all be self directed. The teachers will be making sure this time is safe and will be taking pictures and observing. Who knows, we hope to be playing too! One of the things that Peter Gray says about this event is that it will "signify to children that we recognize the importance of play in their lives." As a mother and teacher, there's nothing like observing free & natural play!
Valentine Compliment Cards
| As a social emotional component with upcoming Valentine's day, students are to write a compliment/acknowledgement for each child. The compliment should acknowledge something specific for each child highlighting perhaps the bravery, gratitude, perseverance, or compassion of our classmates (these happen to be our monthly school themes this year). This assignment will take time to do well so please plan accordingly. If your child would like help completing some of these at school, please send me a note. All compliment cards should be returned to school by Wednesday, February 11th. Please see the handout that went home in your child's folder for more information and a class list. Our Valentines party will be on Friday, February 13th at 3:00. Students are welcome to bring valentines in addition to the compliment cards if they choose. |
The Parade
We are learning more about the students in our classroom and planning a parade to celebrate cultural diversity. While most of us have several cultures in which we identify with, we each decided on one culture to focus on. We know that we are unique in many ways and may celebrate traditions that come from a variety of sources. The students are taking the lead in organizing the event. This week they will be creating invitations to send to you and our community members, research their chosen culture, design floats for the parade, and decide on our parade route. We are requesting your involvement with assisting your child to find out more about their culture. Research suggestions include national colors, country flag, languages spoken, food, music, traditions, and popular sports and things to do. Your child will be using this information to help design his/her float and with class presentations. I have a collection of cultural research sites on the "Projects/Parade" page of our classroom website. We welcome parents and family members to talk with the class to teach us about your family heritage. Thank you to Ms. Chris for teaching us about South Korean customs. Please mark your calendars for February 20th around 2:30 for the parade and potluck. It's time to start thinking about a food dish to share at this occasion. Be on the look-out for student invitations to come.
| Aiden: Korean Angelica: English Asa: Indian Fiona: Irish Chai: Thai Hugo: German Bella: Polish Jenna: American Jack: German Joshua: Scottish Josiah: Cambodian Juliette: Indian | Julius: Native American Kostya: Brazilian Madeline: Mexican Mason: Chinese Mollie: German Nate: English Oliver: British Sage: Filipino Talen: Filipino Tate: English Wyatt: New Orleans Zane: Indian Zoe: Norwegian |
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